Short report: Seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi among Teenek Amerindian residents of the huasteca region in San Luis Potosi, Mexico

Abstract

Scarce information on the seroprevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi among Amerindians is available, and the distribution of this disease in Mexican Indian populations is unknown. In this study, the presence of specific antibodies against T. cruzi among Teenek Amerindians in nine different communities located in San Luis Potosi State was analyzed. An average seroprevalence of 6.5% was found in these populations, suggesting that active transmission of disease occurs in this relatively isolated population in Mexico, and therefore, further studies should be conducted to identify risk factor associated to Chagas disease in other isolated populations across the country to determine the prevalence of Chagas disease in Mexican Amerindians. Copyright © 2009 by The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.